The Devil before Dawn
by AnnFleur
Summary: Post 06x09 the Doctor in the Photo.  Brennan's heart is broken, but so is Booth's. How will they both adjust to the new dynamic? Will they adjust? And what's Hannahs role in all this?
1. Chapter 1

The Devil before Dawn.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, or any of the characters from the show. They belong to Fox Television.

Set after 06x09 'The doctor in the photo'.

For the first time in her life, Brennan believed that the heart was more than just a muscle. Usually, situations like these would cause her to rationalise and compartmentalize everything, but the realisation that she had been wrong to turn down Booth had hit her so hard last night that it had sucked the air right out of her chest.

Booth had dropped her off at her place, telling her good night and I'll see you tomorrow. She'd just nodded and gone straight to bed, but she hadn't slept a minute. Three days was all it would take, she'd told herself in the car. But she realised it would take so much longer. Booth was with Hannah, and he wouldn't leave her just because she had decided to claim him hers. Had she really thought it would be that easy? How stupid was she?

The next morning, Brennan dragged herself back to the Jeffersonian. She was supposed to have breakfast with Booth first but she'd texted him not to expect her. He had not answered her so she supposed he didn't want to talk to her.

When she entered the Jeffersonian, Angela approached her. 'Hey, where were you last night?' She stopped dead. 'Sweetie, what's wrong?'

Brennan looked at her, tears brimming in her eyes.

'Ange, I'm fine.'

'No you're not. And this time, you're telling.'

Brennan saw in her best friends eyes that there was no arguing.

She sighed and walked into her office, Angela right behind her. 'Booth went to find you last night you know.'

'Yeah, I know. He found me all right.'

'What happened? Where were you?'

'I was solving the case.' Brennan avoided looking into Angela's eyes, knowing she'd burst into tears if she did.

'Brennan, you have to talk to someone about this, you know. You can't just keep everything to yourself.'

Brennan sighed. Should she tell Angela what had happened before the team had split up? How much did she already know, and how much should she know? She had never been good at this stuff, and she still wasn't, Brennan realised. 'Just drop it Ange. I'll tell you later. Right now I need something to work on.' She stood and walked out of her office, towards the lab platform, not noticing the figure she was walking straight into.

'Bones!'

Brennan stopped. 'Booth.' She met his eyes for no more than half a second, and before he could say anything else, she passed him and walked up the stairs to the platform. Booth followed her with his eyes, then met Angela's eyes, shook his head and followed Brennan.

Angela stood speechless. What had she just witnessed? Something was very wrong between those two, and it was more than the usual tension that had been between them ever since Hannah had come into the frame.

'Bones, we have a case. A man was found dead this morning at the abandoned trainstation, let's go check it out.' He waited for her answer but all he got was Brennan grabbing her bag and coat and passing him again on her way out. He sighed and followed her. Life had become so much more complicated yesterday evening, and he had no idea how they would ever survive.

When he'd come home yesterday evening after dropping Bones off, Hannah had noticed the change in him immediately. He'd managed to avoid her questions, but he'd been awake most of the night thinking how he would ever choose between these two women. He knew he loved Bones more, but Hannah was so much easier to love. There was so much risk of getting hurt involved with Bones that after she'd turned him down, he'd sworn to himself not to try again. When she was ready to admit to herself how she felt about him, he knew she'd let him know. He hadn't anticipated that it would be when he was getting ready to let another woman take her place in his mind. He was angry with her. Why did she have to decide _now?_ Why couldn't she have decided this a month or two ago? He hadn't told Hannah about his history with Bones yet, but he knew he was going to have to, and he honestly didn't know what to tell her. He wanted Bones next to him more than anything, but he'd settled for working next to her instead of sleeping next to her. Now she'd told him she wanted more, and he was thrown. His head had been spinning like this the entire night, making the dry demeanor she was putting on this morning hard to handle. He hoped she'd be all right, he had never seen her this drawn back before, but he also knew she had to deal with a big part of this on her own.

The whole way to the crime scene Brennan and Booth had been sitting in silence in the car. When they arrived, Brennan got out, put on her gloves and approached the victim. 'Any idea how he ended up here?' Booth asked the deputy, who was busy showing Brennan what had happened. 'No Sir. We think he might have jumped.'

Brennan shook her head. 'Not enough broken bones to suggest suicide by train,' she said. 'Pelvic bone indicates male, approximately thirty-five years old.' Booth took a few notes. 'Is it possible he was dumped here to make it look like a suicide?' Brennan didn't answer. She examined the skull, in pretty bad shape. 'I estimate he has been out here for at least two nights judging by the damage done by the wildlife, but Hodgins will have to confirm'. Booth nodded. 'Ok, let's get him back to the Jeffersonian.' The deputy approached Brennan. 'So, you don't think it was suicide? I knew it!' 'Then why did you need me?' she snapped. The deputy looked stunned and walked away briskly. Brennan lowered her head and walked towards the car, knowing Booth would follow her without asking questions. She was grateful for the distance he had taken, she needed it.

'So, any inkling as to what happened yet?' Booth asked Brennan. They had gone to lunch with Sweets, who had been happy to join them, feeling there had been a change in their dynamic. 'He suffered a cranial injury of approximately ten centimeters in diameter,' Bones said. 'So he was hit on the head,' Booth stated.

'Or he fell, or he got struck by an object by accident. You should not jump to conclusions like that.' Bones took another bite of her salad. 'But it would seem likely that he was struck,' she added, admitting to herself that she was hard on Booth.

'Do any of you want to talk about what's going on here?' Sweets interrupted. They had almost forgotten he was there.

'No', they answered, a bit too fast and a bit too simultaneous.

'Ok,' Sweets said. He knew when to stop, he would talk to Brennan later and he was sure he would be able to help her. Little did he know about how she'd broken every code in her own book the evening before.

They ate the rest of their lunch quietly, and when Brennan said it was time to go back to the lab, Booth offered to drive her. 'That won't be necessary,' she said. She didn't meet his eyes, and he didn't push. 'All right, call me when you find anything.' She nodded and Booth left.

'Sure you don't want to talk about it? I'm not working you know.' Sweets tried. He saw his friends were in trouble and he wanted nothing more than to help them save their relationship.

'I'm sure.' Brennan wasn't about to open up again, to anyone.

'You know I consider you one of my closest friends. You can talk to me about anything, Dr. Brennan. I can see that something has changed the relationship between you and agent Booth, and I want to help.' He hoped it was enough.

He was stunned when he saw the rational scientist in front of him burst into tears.

'I made a mistake Sweets. Such a mistake.' She pulled herself together, wiping the tears from her cheeks. 'I'm sorry.'

'What kind of mistake?'

Brennan didn't know how much Sweets knew about his role in all this. After all, it had been him who told Booth to break the ice before she was ready. She decided to tell him only what he needed to know.

'You were right about me over-identifying with that doctor, but she taught me something. She taught me not to have regrets. I turned Booth down before the team broke up. I think you know that much,' she said.

Sweets nodded.

'And now he's back with Hannah and you realize your mistake,' he finished for her.

Brennan nodded, tears surfacing again.

'Did you tell him how you feel?' Sweets asked carefully.

Brennan nodded again, looking at her empty plate.

'You know that agent Booth is a very good man, Dr. Brennan. You can hardly expect him to switch roles immediately.'

'But why not? I mean, rationally, I'm the better choice. He has shown his interest in me on several occasions, and I never acted upon it, but I think I showed him the extent of my feelings for him,' she said, trying to analyze Booths reaction.

'He has a committed relationship with Hannah, dr. Brennan. You know that. He isn't likely to leave her now, they're too close for that. You'll have to wait and see what happens, or you have to move on. That's up to you. The important part of this is that you allowed your human, emotional side to surface. That will only help you in the future.'

'But it destroyed my future, Sweets. I'm not doing that again. I don't see the benefit of showing emotion when it only brings pain.'

'You don't know that. You can't predict the future, dr. Brennan. I am pretty sure you are not the only one afraid of your feelings.'

Brennan frowned. 'I'm not afraid.'

'Yes you are. Afraid of being vulnerable, and afraid of getting hurt. You put your heart on the line and you got hurt, and not by just anyone, by Booth. That did some damage, but it also helped. You've been through the worst of it, it'll only get better from now on.'

Brennan shook her head. 'I hate psychology.'

Hannah knew Seeley was troubled by something and it bothered her that he wouldn't share it with her.

'Seeley, come on. I deserve to know, I think.'

'I want to tell you Hannah, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea.'

'About what?' Now Booth was scaring her.

Booth sighed, walked towards Hannah and sat down on the couch with her. He decided to let her in on a little history and see how she'd react. 'Just promise me you'll hear me out before you say anything, ok?'

Hannah nodded. 'Ok.' Sitting opposite of him, she could see he was trying to figure out how to start. It wasn't like him to get nervous, and it made her just as anxious about what he was going to say.

'You know that Bones and I have been partners for over five years now, right?' He started. Hannah nodded. If she knew where this was going she did a good job of hiding it.

'We knew each other before we became partners. We had one case where Bones was the expert witness working for the FBI.' Hannah stayed quiet, keeping her promise to hear him out first.

'You must have noticed that we're pretty close,' Booth said, not wanting to dive straight into the messy parts. Hannah nodded again.

'Well, during that first case.. Let's just say it's because of Bones we didn't become a couple back then.'

'But that was what, six years ago?' Hannah said. 'I don't think that's still important, Seeley.'

'It is.'

Booth took Hannah's hands. 'I want you to listen to me. I love you, and I don't want to loose you. I just want you to know the truth.' Hannah softly squeezed his hands. 'Thank you for wanting to tell me. I won't run.'

He smiled at her, feeling lucky to have two such brilliant and beautiful women in his life. It gave him courage, and he knew telling Hannah everything was the best way to proceed. He told her everything, about how he and Bones had kissed but had never gone beyond that. How he'd saved her life more than once, and how she'd done the same for him. How he had helped her in the search for her parents and with that, in her search for herself. How he had discovered that her icy, rational side was just an armor for a beautiful, compassionate, vulnerable heart that had been hurt one too many times. How he had caught her when she'd fallen after several bad choices of boyfriends, and how she'd come to know she could always rely on him. How he'd wanted it to be that way, and how she had always been there for him, even if she didn't always know what she did for him. How he'd dreamed of them being married. How he'd fallen deeply in love with his Bones after his brain surgery. Finally, he came to the part where they had come to terms with their feelings in front of the Hoover building after their conversation with Sweets.

'Hannah, I told her I wanted to give it a shot. I was ready for Bones and I to be together forever. I never wanted to be without her at that point. She had been the standard for so long, all I could think about at night was her.' Hannah rolled her eyes jokingly. 'All right, I get the point,' she said. Booth smiled with her. 'Sorry. I just want you to know how I felt.' Hannah nodded again, Booth continued. 'She turned me down without any valid reason, but she made it clear that she didn't want me. My heart was crushed. I thought she meant she didn't love me. It never occurred to me that she might just be afraid, until last night. She opened up to me, Hannah. She told me she got the signal. That she made a mistake and she didn't want to have any regrets.'

Hannah was looking at him with open mouth. 'She what? That doesn't sound like Temperance.'

'It was her, Hannah. The true Temperance. And I crushed it.' Booth let go of her hands and raked them through his hair. 'I'm afraid I destroyed her.'

'What do you mean?' Hannah asked.

'When I recovered from my brain tumor, I wanted to tell Bones how I felt. Cam told me to be absolutely 200% sure of my feelings before I told Bones, because if I backed out, she'd die of loneliness before she'd ever trust anyone again. I think I did that to her yesterday.'

Hannah nodded slowly. 'But it wasn't your fault.'

'I know, but Bones never opened up to me like that. She tried it because she hoped it would help her, but instead I crushed her heart without a second thought. I know it was the right thing, I told her I love you, but I just hope she knows I still love her as well.'

Hannah's next words would show Booth just how lucky he was with her.

'Maybe you should tell her.'


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Another sleepless night had both Booth and Brennan at their worst the next day. Brennan had discovered cause of death on the victim, and he had been identified as a young professor in art history at a small university. They were discussing the case over breakfast, and because Sweets had cancelled, they were together for the first time since Brennan's revelation.

'Did you get some sleep last night Bones?' Booth asked, concerned for his partner. She didn't look good.

'Yes, thanks,' Brennan answered. It wasn't the truth, but lately the truth seemed to hurt.

Booth sighed. 'You remember that conversation we had, a long time ago, about faith and how it sometimes got shaken?' he tried.

Brennan looked him in the eye. She remembered, she didn't need to answer him for him to see that.

'I suppose you're going to remind me that two plus two equals four and that therefore it will all be ok again? I don't believe that anymore.'

'Bones.. You'll be fine, trust me.'

She looked at him again, her eyes more expressive than he'd ever seen them. 'You can't promise me that and then turn around and go have sex with Hannah. It's not fair.'

'It's also not fair that you turn me down and when I'm finally over it, you take my heart and shatter it once again, Bones!' Booth almost yelled.

Brennan almost jumped back in her chair, the entire restaurant looking at them.

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled,' Booth said. 'Let's get out of here, we have a suspect to interview.'

'I won't be coming with you.'

'Why not? Come on Bones, I need you there,' Booth said, but he could see there was no arguing with her so he just nodded and after paying the bill, left Brennan in the restaurant.

That afternoon, Brennan had fallen asleep on her desk when Booth came to update her on the case. He stopped dead on her doorstep, not wanting to disturb her. He decided to continue reading the case files on the suspect on her couch, so he would not miss the opportunity to update her if she woke up and left when he wasn't there. He also knew it was an opportunity for him to go over his feelings for Bones, so he sat down on her couch, put a pillow in his lap and opened the first file.

Half an hour later, he was also asleep.

Brennan woke up, disoriented at first. Then she remembered resting her head on her desk for just a minute, after which she must have fallen asleep. She looked around, eyes settling on Booth who was asleep on her couch. She couldn't help but smile. She went to get two cups of coffee, and when she got back Booth was just waking up.

'I thought you could use some,' Bones said, putting the cup down in front of him.

'Bones, we should talk.'

'No we shouldn't. I can deal with things on my own.' She crossed her arms in front of her, a sign for him to stop trying. The armor was back up.

He nodded and sipped from his coffee, knowing she should at least know that he'd talked to Hannah.

'I told Hannah about us,' he said.

'There is no us, Booth.'

'There is Bones. We are partners, that counts for something. I would be dead if it weren't for you.'

Brennan dropped her eyes. 'Me too.'

Booth put a hand on hers. 'And that's what partners do, but Hannah didn't know much about our partnership. I thought she should, it is complicated enough as it is. I just want her to know everything.'

'You were right to tell her. She deserves to know everything, because there's nothing for her to worry about.'

Did she really not know how he felt about her? Did she think there was nothing for Hannah to worry about? How was he going to get through to this woman in front of him?

'Bones, can I ask you something?' He needed to ask her something but he was unsure she'd want to answer.'

'Sure.'

'Why did you think I wanted to give us a try, you know, before Hannah?'

Her eyes watered again, and she looked at him with a devastating look of sadness in her eyes. 'I don't want to discuss that, Booth. I'm trying to forget, please don't make it harder on me'. It came straight from her precious heart, and he saw it so he dropped it. They drank their coffee, Booth filled her in on the case and after seeing his presence wasn't helping her, he left her alone with her thoughts.

An hour later, Angela showed up at Brennan's office with a plate and a steaming cup of tea. 'Honey, you need to eat something.'

Brennan looked at her, grateful for Angela's concern. 'Thanks Ange. Time got away from me.'

'That can happen. Are you ok though? You look.. Bad.'

'Thanks,' Brennan smiled, but Angela saw her best friend was making an effort but failing miserably.

'Come on Brennan, tell me what's on your mind. You can't live like this you know. It's going to eat you alive.' Angela knew not to push too far with her best friend, but this time things were different. She also knew that sometimes, Brennan needed more than a little encouragement to come to terms with things she didn't even realize were in her way. This was one of those times.

Angela put an arm around her friends shoulders and sat down on the couch with her. 'Come on sweetie, tell me. I won't breathe a word, I promise.'

That shattered the last bit of control that Brennan was desperately holding on to. She burst into tears, leaning into Angela and putting her arms around her. Angela hugged her back, knowing that that was all Brennan needed from her right now.

'Shh, it's ok. We'll figure it out, you'll be fine,' she soothed. Brennan just cried and cried.

Neither of them noticed Booth approaching the office, seeing the scene, dropping his head, turning around and leaving.

After crying on Angela's shoulders for a few minutes, Brennan regained control, released her tight grip on Angela and sat back. 'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be sorry Brennan. You needed that and you'll need it again, just let me know when.'

'Thanks Ange. I'm just.. Lost. I don't know what to do. It's like back to those days when Sully wanted me to come with him.. The tears came again and Angela handed her a tissue. 'Booth's leaving us?'

'What? No!' Brennan frowned. 'I didn't mean it literally, I'm sorry.'

Angela nodded. 'Good. And don't be so sorry, just tell me what happened, please?'

Brennan nodded and picked up her tea. The warmth of the mug gave her the courage to tell her best friend everything.

'I turned Booth down a while ago. I think you noticed that.' Angela nodded.

'Well, last Tuesday I finally admitted my mistake to him. I've never been more sad and alone than the past months, Angela. Booth is just the pillar that holds up my entire life. I've tried being happy for him and Hannah, and I think he thinks I am genuinely happy, and I want to be.. But it's just not right. I can't be happy for him. I know that's not logical, I mean Hannah seems a suitable partner and Booth deserves that, but something is just eating away at me. I've never felt it before.'

'Jealousy.' Angela nodded. 'I know how you feel. You want to be happy but you know you've made a mistake.'

'I never made a mistake like this, Angela. I don't know why I did. Did you know that I spoke to Rebecca about Booth and marriage once? She said that people have one single moment, in which they catch fire or don't. I'm afraid I missed that moment..'

'You didn't miss it, you postponed it. He still loves you deeply, Brennan. It's in his eyes.'

'The perception that feelings can be seen in one's eyes is irrational,' Brennan said, realizing too late that she was completely destroying her own reasoning by crying earlier. 'But I've learned it to be true,' she added.

Angela smiled.

'So, you admitted your feelings to him?' she tried to get Brennan to continue.

Brennan nodded. 'And he said he couldn't. That he was with Hannah now. And I don't know what I expected from him, but it wasn't what I got.'

'You thought he'd save you. You were falling and you needed him to save you, but he didn't.'

Brennan realized that with that, Angela had hit it right on the head. 'Yeah.'


	3. Chapter 3

3.

After working on the case for a few more hours, Booth went home. He was exhausted.

As he opens the door, the smell of Italian food reaches his nose. Hannah has been cooking.

'Hey Seeley, I thought you wouldn't mind me being the cook for once,' she greeted him.

He put his coat on the hook by the door and walked inside. 'You were right, it smells great.' He was grateful that she didn't bring up Bones straight away, but he knew they'd have to talk later on. He thought it best to break the ice before she did.

'I hope you know that I love you,' he said. She smiled at him.

'I know, and I thank you for telling me so much about your history with Temperance. You didn't have to.'

'You needed to know,' Booth said. 'And it was unfair of me to wait so long.'

'Seeley, you didn't have to tell me. I knew,' Hannah said, while directing him towards the table and pulling out a chair for him. He turned around, facing her. 'You knew? How?'

She laughed at him, pushing him down onto the chair. 'It's written all over your faces when you are together. It's hard for anyone but yourselves not to notice.'

'You should tell Bones that,' Booth muttered.

'Maybe I will do just that,' Hannah called back to him from the kitchen, before emerging with two steaming plates.

They ate their food in silence, neither of them needing to speak, until Hannah felt she had one more thing to say.

'I'll support you through any choice you make, Seeley. You don't have to give her up because you're with me.'

He looked at her with big eyes. 'But I don't want to loose you, Hannah. Not yet anyway,' he tried to lighten the mood. She smiled at him. 'You won't, if you don't want to. But whenever you feel Temperance needs you more than I do, you can go to her, just know that.' He nodded, feeling relieved that Hannah understood their relationship so well. Bones would most likely need him more than Hannah, and he would like to be there for her, if it helped.

The next morning Booth picked Brennan up to interview the victim's wife for a second time. She seemed distant, but Booth thought it best to wait until she was ready to talk. Finally, she did.

'What if she did it?'

He frowned. 'What if who did what?'

'What if the wife killed her husband. Where does that lead your theory?'

'What theory?' He was having trouble keeping up with her.

'About love being eternal, people being together for forty, fifty years, never letting each other down.'

He looked at her. 'Bones, come on. You know that only applies to some of us. We struggle our whole lives to find this one person, and sometimes we get lucky.' He knew she was talking about more than the case here, but he'd let it to her to make the bridge.

'But how do you know that you've found this person? I mean, I think I'm quite capable of assessing the competence and compatibility of my mates, but I've been unsuccessful so far.'

'That's because you keep getting scared.'

She hadn't expected that and she didn't know what to answer. He knew her too well.

'I have an alibi,' the wife said. 'Pretty shaky one as far as I'm concerned,' Booth countered. Brennan stood back and tried to read the woman. Why would someone kill the one she loved? Did she feel betrayed by him? What was her motive? Brennan herself had thought of hurting Booth in the past, for example when he had played dead and she had attended his funeral only to find he was still alive. That had been pure betrayal to her, and she couldn't trust him not to do that ever again. That was one of the reasons she was afraid of getting closer to him: Getting hurt by Booth meant getting hurt hard and deep, and she'd had enough of that. She knew she should have told him all of this ages ago but she had just never found the right time.

'Bones?'

She woke up from her thoughts. 'What?'

'I said, wasn't the murderweapon a kitchen knife just like the ones ma'am over here is using for cutting up her vegetables?'

'Booth, there are millions of those knives, to be found anywhere.'

'Yeah, but I still think it's worth spraying your magic water over them to see if there's any blood on them.'

The wife blocked their path. 'Not without a warrant, that's for sure,' she said.

Booth nodded. 'All right, we'll be back,' he said and he directed Brennan out.

'What was that about?' Once they were outside, Booth grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. 'You've never done that before. You could have just said yes and I'd have legal reasons to take her in you know.'

'I'm aware of that. Now let go.'

He let her go. 'I'm sorry.'

'No Booth, you're not. You're the one that taught me about love, and I was almost starting to believe you when I went to the Maluku islands and you to Afghanistan. I thought you'd try again, I really thought you'd try again.' She let it all out, not knowing what else to say or how else to continue her life. He had to know.

Booth put a hand on her back and guided her to his car. Once they were in, he looked at her. She was avoiding his eyes, and he could see the pain he had caused her. That broke his heart.

'I know, Bones. I wanted to. But then I met Hannah and I just.. I don't know. I didn't know how you felt, you never tell me how you feel. I knew how I felt about Hannah and how she felt about me. It was the more logical thing, I guess. But it hurt.'

'No, you hurt me. And I know I hurt you but I was protecting you.'

'But don't you see that protecting me from you makes both of us miserable?' He started the car. 'Let's get back to the Jeffersonian, see what you squints have figured out.' He wanted to let her think things over before she said anything she didn't mean or she'd regret later. She nodded, she understood.

Back at the Jeffersonian, Booth went up the platform to talk to Hodgins and Brennan immediately made for Angela's office. 'Ange, we need to talk.'

Angela looked up. 'Sure, come in,' she said. If she could help, she would.

'Do you have any plans this evening?' Brennan asked her.

'No, why, do you?' Angela smiled at her. She thought it would be good for Brennan to do something wild, but she knew she'd never convince her friend to go out with her unless she was completely at ease when Angela asked.

'No, I was wondering if you'd come over for dinner? I need to ask you some questions,' Brennan asked. Was she asking for romantic advice? Angela didn't know what to think.

'You know what? We'll eat out. Pick the restaurant. You need to get away from home, sweetie.'

Brennan thought about it for a second, then she nodded. 'Ok, but you're not going to try to hook me up. I'm not in the mood.' Angela agreed.

Later that evening, Angela picked Brennan up and they went to have dinner. After dinner, they went to a club a few blocks from Brennan's apartment. Brennan had refused to go at first, but Angela had said that her favorite band was playing and she wanted to check them out. Brennan had agreed and so they ended up at the bar, chatting with each other. 'So, what did you want to ask me?' Angela asked Brennan. She hoped the alcohol would make her more talkative, because she really wanted to know what was on her friends mind.

'How did you know that Hodgins was the one for you, Angela? How do you know?'

'You're not going to believe me, whatever I say, sweetie.'

'I'll try, I promise.'

Angela sighed. 'Ok. You.. You feel this tingle when he looks at you. You feel safe when he walks behind you. When you see his name on your phone you can't wait to pick up or answer his text.'

'That's teenage infatuation,' Brennan frowned.

'When it goes on for longer than you thought it would, it's love,' Angela said.

Brennan looked at her, still needing so much more answers. 'But how do you know that it's going to last?'

'Sweetie.. You don't. That's part of it, you have to live in the moment to be happy. You can't live in doubt your entire life. Just go with it, have fun and see where it leads. Even if it hurts in the end, it's worth it, believe me.'

Brennan smiled and put a hand on her friends arm. 'Thanks, Ange. I still have a lot to learn, I guess.'

Angela covered Brennan's hand with one of her own. 'And you'll be a quick study. Just allow Booth in every once and again, he's worth it.'

Brennan nodded. 'I know.'


	4. Chapter 4

4.

After a few more drinks, Brennan began feeling better than she had in days. She knew that it was alcohol intoxication but she couldn't care.

'Ange, I'm giving op on love. It's not worth the risk!'

'What? No,' Angela replied. 'Don't say that, you don't mean it.'

'I do. I mean, look at me. I've dated murderers, FBI agents and God knows what else and it's all ended in trouble. I'm done.'

Angela took the drink away from her friend. 'Don't say that. Sully was your fault, you know. You could've run away with him.'

'Yeah.. Wouldn't have done any good though, I am done.'

Angela knew there was no point in arguing with a tormented soul like Brennans. She also knew Brennan was one of the most emotional and vulnerable women she'd ever met, and right know it was getting in her way. It was either this or retreating to her logic, and right now Angela wished Brennan had done the latter. But she hadn't.

Angela decided to take a leap of faith. She called Booth and told him Brennan was in trouble. She didn't say what kind of trouble, but she knew Booth would understand. He did, and he promised to get there as soon as possible.

No more than five minutes later, Booth entered the bar to find Angela and Brennan sitting at the bar, Angela trying to calm down her friend, who seemed to be more intoxicated than Booth had ever seen her.

'Booth, go away,' she greeted him.

'Sweetie, he's here to drive you home, that's all.'

'But I live down the street, Angela. You shouldn't have called him.'

'He can help, Brennan. Talk to him.' With that, she looked at Booth, silently thanked him and left the bar.

Booth put his hand on Brennan's back. 'Let's go, Bones.'

She shrugged, trying to remove his hand. 'I'm fine, I don't need you.'

He sighed, directing her towards the door. She was struggling to stand up, and he felt bad knowing she'd only gotten this drunk because he wasn't there for her. He also remembered Hannah saying that when Bones needed him, she wanted him to go with her and make sure she was ok. Hannah could take care of herself, he knew that and so did Hannah.

He opened the door of the car and lifted Brennan on to the seat. 'Here, you'll be ok, I'm here. Let me take you home.' She nodded, becoming less difficult to handle and more emotional. He knew he'd have to be very careful with his words when Brennan was intoxicated by alcohol and feeling vulnerable.

He drove her home in silence, Brennan looking down at her folded hands. When he got her out of the car and lifted her into his arms, she put her arms around his neck. It felt as if they'd never been anywhere else. He walked up the steps leading to her front door and put her down. 'Keys?'

She nodded and fumbled in her pockets. Her hands were shaking and she couldn't get the key in the lock, so he steadied her hands. She pulled them away and let him open the door. He lead her inside and onto the couch.

'You gonna be ok Bones?'

She nodded and wiped a lock of hair from her face.

'I'm fine, Booth. I'm used to this.'

He dropped his head. 'Look Bones, I know life hasn't dealt you an easy blow.'

'I don't know what that means.'

He sat down next to her. 'It means that every time you show something of yourself to someone, they tend to hurt you in the end.'

She shrugged. 'You taught me the importance of showing a little bit of yourself every now and then. You said it would help me.'

'And it will, as long as you figure out what to reveal.' He knew he was unleashing a lot of questions from her, but he was willing to talk this through to the end.

'How do I know who to trust, Booth? I read bones, not people.'

'You'll know. Just make sure you have some faith in yourself.'

'I have no reason not to be confident. I am intelligent, ..' Booth interrupted her. 'But still, you can't trust yourself enough to let me get too close.'

She looked at him with piercing blue eyes, straight into his soul. 'No. I can't let you get close because you'll see how scared I am.'

Booth looked at her. She had never revealed so much of herself to him, and he believed every word she said was more true than anything he had ever heard her say.

'You don't have to be scared, Bones.'

'I'm a scientist. You need someone with a big, beautiful heart. I have a logical, muscle heart.'

'You have the biggest and most beautiful heart I've ever seen in a person, you just don't know how to see it yourself,' he explained. 'I saw that heart the second I met you. I also saw you were a very complicated person who has a lot to learn about themselves. I tried helping you with that, but I can only do so much. You have to find the courage to look into your own heart and see the flaws, Bones.'

She just sat there, the alcohol obstructing her logical thinking.

'I need coffee.'

He smiled and patted her knee. 'Be right back.'

While he was gone, she thought about what he'd said. Mostly, she thought he wanted to tell her to loose some of her control. She wasn't good at that.

When he came back he saw she was in deep thought, so he put the mug down in front of her. The smell of coffee seemed to make her thinking clearer, because she turned on the couch to face him.

'How do I let go, Booth?' The vulnerability she was showing was beautiful to him. He wondered how God could create someone so brilliant but so innocent at the same time. He would have thought that there were no secrets to life for Temperance Brennan, but he was wrong.

She really didn't know.

'Bones, you know what I told you before..' She nodded. 'You're with Hannah. I know.'

He shook his head. 'I am, but I'm also there for you. I wish only happiness for you, and if I can help with that, I'll try.'

She smiled at him. 'Thanks, Booth.'

He smiled back. 'Anytime, partner.' He hoped it was enough for now.

Brennan nodded and sipped from her coffee. She knew he'd have to leave soon and she was repulsed by the idea of him comforting her one minute, and being in bed with Hannah the next. Booth saw her struggle written in her eyes, the alcohol keeping Brennan from hiding her emotions from him.

'Just say the word, Bones.'

She shook her head. 'I don't know what you mean.'

He took her hand and caressed the back with his thumb. 'You're my partner, I take care of you when you need me. If you don't want to be alone, I'll be right here, on your couch.' He thought it best to explain his full meaning to her, he never wanted her to think he'd cheat on Hannah because it would be the same to her as cheating on her.

Brennan smiled and shook her head slowly. 'Thanks, but I'm fine. Go home.'

He looked into her eyes for a few seconds, seeing her real answer but he decided she needed to learn to tell him what she wanted before he'd give in. 'All right.' He stood, and Brennan stood with him, walking him to the door. 'See you tomorrow for breakfast? I'll pick you up,' he said.

'Make that lunch and I'll meet you there,' she countered. He nodded. 'Ok. Bones.. Sleep well.'

She looked up into his eyes, tensed her lips in a way only she could and nodded. 'You too.'

As she watched him leave and closed the door she sighed. Why couldn't life be easier? Why couldn't he just give her a break, she knew he had seen her desire to have him stay but he had ignored her, and she thought she understood why. She just hoped he was right about looking into your own heart, because she wasn't about to let this man down again. Even though the alcohol was buzzing through her head, she was going to do some serious self-reflection.

What did she really want? She had always said that she needed nothing more than her job. However, Booth's grandfather had told her that everybody needs somebody to share their life with. She hadn't disagreed with him at the time, and now she was beginning to understand what he had meant. She had known it was a generally accepted premise, but the reason had always escaped her until now. She saw how Hannah's presence seemed to make Booth happy, she seemed to complement him. Brennan wondered how she would complement Booth. She knew he looked at their partnership as two halves making one, that together they were complete, but she didn't know wether that would apply to a romantic relationship. After all, she didn't have the ability to relinquish control and enjoy the moment, which was what she thought Booth loved about Hannah.

She had never been a romantic. She could appreciate dinners with interesting companions, and she enjoyed sex. But no one had ever really shown her the meaning of romance. Sully had tried when he'd asked her to go with him to the Caribbean, but she hadn't seen it that way at the time. Even then, she'd been scared to let go. Her control was all that she really had after a relationship. It was the only thing she could always rely on. When her logic failed her, like when Sully left and she decided not to go, she still had her own self-control and her pride. It had been enough. Until she had realized that maybe sharing some of that control and being vulnerable every now and again could also give her satisfaction. Unfortunately, once she'd realized that, it had been too late and Booth had been involved with Hannah.

Brennan didn't want Booth to leave Hannah because of her. She hadn't thought about that when she'd confessed her love to Booth in the car, but she'd felt bad about it afterwards. She had no right to ask him to come to her when he was finally happy. However, she had hoped that he'd be more enthusiastic. It had taken her so much to pour her heart out to him and he had accepted it, not helping her to recover or catch her when she was falling. She didn't know what the future would bring. Maybe he would tell her to wait for him. That wouldn't be difficult as she had known for a while now that Booth was really the only one worth waiting for to her. She didn't see a point in trying to find another compatible partner when the one for her was sitting right next to her in the interview room. The thing that nagged her though, was that she had expected Booth to think the same about her. She had pushed him away hard when he opened up to her, and she hadn't realized how hard that had hit him until she opened up to him in a similar manner and he had pushed her away just as hard. It must have broken his heart, but she was unsure if he was just seeking comfort or if he was moving on with Hannah.

She decided to try and work on expressing what she felt more, and she wanted to try and mend some of the bridges she'd broken in their personal friendship, because she realized now more than ever that she needed his friendship and comfort more than her next breath. Without it, she was just Temperance Brennan, anthropologist. With it, she was a better person. A kinder, warmer person. The person she had always wanted to be when she was growing up. She couldn't lose that.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

The next morning, she was glad she'd told Booth to meet her for lunch and not breakfast as it was almost twelve by the time she finally got out of bed. She hadn't slept much and she'd had a rather distressing dream involving a handsome FBI-agent and his girlfriend.

When she arrived at the restaurant, she could see Booth sitting at their usual table at the window. He had already ordered and he was enjoying his coffee, so it seemed. She approached him, noticing that he had also gotten her a coffee and pancakes already.

'Morning,' he greeted her.

'Morning,' she answered and sat down. 'thanks for last night. I'm sorry you had to see that.'

'Well, you've had a rough time, I understand. You should've seen the state I was in, way worse.' He realized his mistake shortly after. 'Sorry Bones, didn't mean to bring it all up again.'

'That's fine. It's a problem, so we have to try and solve it.'

He nodded, but he didn't offer any possibilities as to how they would solve this.

Brennan looked at him. 'I want you to know something,' she started. He looked her in the eye, hoping she wasn't going to do anything that might hurt him even more.

'I want you to tell me where you think things are going to go with Hannah.'

He frowned. 'How can I know that? No one knows how a relationship will develop, Bones.'

Her eyes lightened up a bit. That was exactly the answer she'd hoped to get.

'So if I say I'll wait for you, will that not be useless because you know you're going to be with her forever?'

He wondered how she could be so focused when last night, she had been drunk out of her wits.

'I don't want you to be alone because you're waiting for me, Bones.'

She shook her head. 'I want to wait for you. I only want two things, that's to be alone or to be with you. So if you say you are unsure of your future together, I'm saying that that's enough for me.'

He looked at her, tears gathering in his eyes.

'Thank you,' he whispered. She nodded, in her slow, affirmative fashion.

They finished lunch, chatting easily about what they would do today and about the rest of the case. The wife had been brought in for them to question again, Booth had seen her before he'd come to lunch. He told Bones he was sure it was her, and he was confident she'd provide the evidence to prove it.

After lunch, Brennan retrieved to the lab, telling Booth she should look for the evidence while he interrogated the suspect. He had agreed, knowing she just wanted to be alone with her bones to think. He would grant her that, so he left for the Hoover building.

'Did she do this to you?' Brennan found herself talking to the remains, asking them for answers. She'd been doing a lot of that lately, something that she wouldn't have considered good use of time before. However, now she found it helped her focus on where to look and what to look for.

She found a tiny piece of glass lodged in the back of the man's skull. Hodgins analyzed it as glass often used in old style lamps, such as were used at the university. She called this in to Booth, telling him the likely murderweapon. His answer didn't really surprise her.

'I know, the wife has just confessed to murdering her husband. She says she used a green and gold lamp from his desk and then dragged him out into the car, dumped him on top of a train and hoped she'd never see him again.'

He heard Brennan swallow. 'Some love,' she answered and hung up the phone. Booth sighed. He couldn't help but understand where she was coming from, but he wanted to tell her that with them, it was different. He would never hate her. He couldn't. He wanted to protect her, to keep her safe like a favorite doll is protected by a child. This feeling he had for her wasn't just love, and he was almost afraid of its intensity, but he was even more scared of losing it.

That afternoon, Hannah surprised Brennan by showing up at the lab. She'd never been there before and Brennan felt a sting of aggression. Did she have to claim this part of their life as hers as well? This was her territory, and the only place Booth come to just to see her. Now, Hannah was there as well. She had seen the woman enter the department, and as soon as Brennan had seen her, she'd locked the door of her office and gone to Angela's office, which had proper walls instead of the glass substitutes her office had. She had asked Angela to keep Hannah at bay, and Angela had been just as angry as her at the blonde harassing their lab.

Angela approached Hannah with her arms crossed. 'What brings you here?' she stated.

'I need to talk to Temperance,' Hannah stated. She didn't even look guilty or ashamed at the concept and Angela cooked inside. 'And why do you have to talk to Temperance?' she asked again.

Hannah sighed. 'Look, I understand that I am not supposed to be here, I understand this is your field but please. If I can't talk to Temperance I'll talk to you.'

Angela looked at her for a few seconds, then she nodded. 'Talk to me.'

They sat down on a bench on one side of the platform, where Angela and Brennan had often discussed their lovelife.

'I want you to tell Temperance this,' she started. Angela nodded. 'If it will help her, sure.'

'It will. I want you to tell her.. I want her to know that I understand what's going on. I see the strength of what Seeley and her have. I know I have no right to say this, but I'm jealous of it.'

Angela nodded. 'It's strong, between those two.'

Hannah sighed. 'It is. And I know Seeley wouldn't leave me to be with her, but I know deep down he wants to. And I am considering making life easier for him.'

Angela's jaw dropped. 'You're what?'

'I'm prepared to break up with Seeley if that makes him happier. But I need to know where Temperance stands with this. I want her to be with him after I leave. I'm afraid she'll change her mind again, or feel guilty, or whatever. That's why I wanted to talk to her in person, I hoped I could make her understand.'

Angela nodded. 'You were probably right. She won't believe me. I'll get her for you, just wait here.'

Hannah smiled. 'Thank you, Angela.'

While she walked to her office, Angela tried to make sense of stuff herself. Would Hannah really do this? That would be the most loving and selfless act anyone had ever done in her eyes and Angela was amazed. She hadn't thought of Hannah as a particularly selfless woman until now.

She knocked on her door and entered, startling Brennan. 'Ange! What is going on?'

'She really needs to talk to you sweetie. It's important.'

Brennan shook her head. 'I can't.'

Angela walked towards her and put her hands on either side of Brennan's head. 'Look. Would I come to get you if I wasn't absolutely one hundred percent certain this is worth it?'

Brennan stood, effectively putting some distance between her and Angela.

'You're probably right. But don't send me in by myself, Angela.'

Angela nodded and followed her hesitant friend out of her office and towards Hannah, who was sitting on the same bench as where Angela had left her.

Brennan stood in front of Hannah, arms crossed, not saying anything, hoping her self-control would contain her tears long enough for her to hear whatever it was Hannah was here to say.

'Temperance,' Hannah smiled at her. When she got no response whatsoever, she looked down and sighed. 'Look, it's not what you think.'

'You can't possibly know what I think,' Temperance said.

'I can,' Hannah said. 'But I'm not here to argue. I'm here to talk to you about something I think is important for you to know.'

Brennan nodded and sat down on the bench opposite of Hannah. Angela remained standing.

'Just say what you have to say, please,' Brennan said.

Hannah nodded. 'And you just listen, please, and don't doubt what I have to say. Cause it's the truth,' she started. Brennan looked up into Hannah's eyes, seeing that she wasn't lying. She nodded.

'I want to know how you feel about Seeley. I mean, I know you love him, but I want to know how sure you are of your own feelings.' She saw Brennan start to open her mouth to argue with her, so she quickly went on. 'And don't say you don't love him, and don't think I'm saying this to hurt you. I just need to know what you would do if he was yours.'

Brennan frowned, tears in her eyes. What would she do if Booth was hers? What kind of a question was that? And why was she bringing this up?

'I.. I don't understand,' she answered, that being all she could manage.

Angela interrupted. 'Maybe you just have to tell Brennan what you told me.' Hannah looked up at her, nodded, and Angela put a hand on Brennan's shoulder. 'I'll be in my office if you need me afterwards, sweetie,' she said. Brennan looked up at her, eyes teary. 'But..'

'Just listen to her, Brennan. I'm serious.' With that, she left Brennan with Hannah, hoping everything would turn out the way she hoped.

'Ok.. I'll explain everything first,' Hannah said. Brennan nodded. 'That would probably be for the best.'

'So Seeley told me everything there was to know about you two. And however much I loved him for it, it taught me something. He loves you in a way he can never love me. Our relationship is built upon sex, and the love came second. Seeley would never admit it, but it's true and he knows it. With you, the love is raw, pure. You have so much more than I have with him, only without the sex.'

She sighed. 'I'm not saying what I want to say.'

Brennan actually chuckled.

'All right. What I want to say is.. I am going to break up with Seeley. I'm going to set him free. But only when I know that you will be there for him. He needs you, and not for a month of a year, but forever. He depends on you just as much as you depend on him. You have to be there for him,' Hannah said, leaning forward towards Brennan to make sure she got the full meaning.

Brennan couldn't believe it. 'You what? You want to sever your bond with Booth so he can be with me?'

Hannah nodded. 'That would be correct.'

'But.. You love him,' Temperance frowned. 'How could you separate yourself from him?' And then she got it. 'Aah. I see. You are afraid you'll hurt him by loving him.'

Hannah smiled at Brennan. 'See, we're not so different after all. I know I can't make him happy and the thought of having to try but knowing I would never succeed scares the hell out of me. Besides, if he can find real, true love with you, why would I deny him that?'

Brennan smiled at Hannah. 'You are an exceptional woman.'

'You still haven't answered the question,' Hannah countered.

Brennan's mouth tensed, a tear dropping from her eyes. 'I.. I too am afraid.'

'I know,' Hannah told her. 'I know. But you don't have to be. He wants to be there for you, he wants to help you, to guide you into the unknown, to make sure you can be happy.'

'He told you that?'

'No, but it's clear. But when I break up with him, he won't come to you for love. He'll come to you for comfort. You have to give him that, but afterwards, when he is emotionally healed with your help, you have to show him that it's ok for him to be with you. Tell him I did this for him. I will tell him, but I don't think he'll take it from me. He will when you tell him.'

Brennan nodded. 'I can see that. But still..'

'Temperance, please. Just don't be afraid. You were so close a couple of times. Just for one second, forget about your fears. Set them aside again. You did it once, you can do it again. He's worth it, believe me.'

'I just don't want him to be with me because you broke up with him. I don't want us to come together at such a high price for you, do you understand?' Brennan asked.

Hannah nodded. 'But it was never meant to be this way. I wasn't meant to be here. Seeley and I.. It was great but we both knew it was temporary and doomed from the beginning. He was running away from you when he found me and by the time he realized that, he'd convinced you and himself that he loves me. I can make him see that.'

Brennan thought about it for a second or two. Then suddenly everything was clear to her. 'Of course. I understand. He was hurting.' She looked up at Hannah. 'Thank you for coming to me. I will help Booth, even if I am not sure how I can, but I'll try. And he'll help me too, I know he will. Thank you so much, Hannah.'

Hannah nodded at her. 'You're welcome. It's all my fault in the first place. I have a chance to put things right, and it feels good.'

With that, both women stood, came together in a short hug and Hannah turned around and left. Brennan sat back down, frowning, her mind racing over everything it had heard in the past minutes. What had happened? What would happen? Could she adjust? Was this a blessing or a fatal mistake?


	6. Chapter 6

When Hannah had left, Angela approached her friend, who was clearly upset.

'How did it go?'

Brennan shook her head. 'I don't know. I don't know if I can do what she asks of me, Ange.'

'Come on honey, of course you can. Live a little, have some faith in yourself for once.'

Brennan looked up at her best friend. How she envied Angela's ability to see everything in such a different perspective..

'But how can I help Booth if I'm still afraid myself?'

Angela sat down next to Brennan and took her hands. 'Look. Just look at it like this: When two people have experienced a terrible thing, isn't it often helpful for them to be together? It helps them, because they learn that everything will be ok in the end.'

Brennan frowned. 'But.. Booth and I..'

'Sweetie, I know it's something different. But you just won't accept love, so I just tried to make it into a story that you would accept. Booth and you have been through the worst of things together, but you've only grown closer. That suggests that you're meant to be.'

Brennan stood. 'There is no such thing as being 'meant to be, Ange.'

Angela stood as well, taking Brennan's shoulders and making her look into her eyes.

'There is. Believe me.'

Brennan knew that it was stupid to think that she could see something in her eyes, but if it had been possible, she would have sworn she saw love and truth. She knew Angela was only trying to help her, but her brain was too slow for once. She didn't want to fail anyone, least of all Booth. If she was the one to mess this up, she'd never be happy. She knew that all too well. She decided Angela needed to understand her fears.

'Angela, I know what you mean, but can you just listen to me?'

Angela nodded. 'Sure.'

Brennan sat back down again, her head hanging a little.

'I can't loose him, Ange. I just can't.'

'Why would you loose Booth?'

'What if I can't make him happy? What if I disappoint him?'

Angela's mouth dropped. Was Brennan really saying this? The confident, strong, intelligent dr. Brennan she had come to love so dearly?

'Sweetie. He loves you. That's enough.'

Brennan nodded, still not convinced. 'I hope it is.'

With that, she stood, and walked back to the lab platform. Angela followed her, hoping what had happened here was a good thing and that for once, Brennan would follow her heart instead of her head.

Dawn.

Hannah had a mission. She had made sure she was home before Booth, making him dinner and setting the table in a way she knew he liked: Casual but romantic, dinner on the couch at the low table, with candles but no fancy dishes or menus. She wanted to try and make him as comfortable as possible before she would explain everything to him. She just hoped that he wasn't too far gone to make him see sense. He had come to her in a time of despair and she hadn't known it or seen it at the time, so she'd only made his situation worse: Not only did he want to love someone other than Brennan, he had chosen her and focused all his love on her. She knew exactly how it felt, she'd done it once and she knew how badly it hurt to be pulled back to reality. But she also knew how it should be done, so she hoped her efforts and first hand knowledge would be enough to convince Seeley.

Booth opened the door, and the first thing he noticed was the change in atmosphere. Hannah was home, but something was different. 'Hey,' he called. 'You're home early.'

'Yeah,' she called back. 'I finished my article so I thought I'd just come home instead of researching for the next.'

He nodded, putting his coat away. 'Nice.'

She walked into the corridor. 'And dinner's ready, if you are.'

He smiled at her. Something was definitely different. Not wrong per se, but different. He nodded again, following her to the living room, where he was surprised by her efforts. 'Wow. This looks great, Hannah,' he said and he pulled her in for a kiss. To his surprise she didn't let him deepen the kiss, but she pulled away with the excuse of dinner getting roasted.

She handed him his share of the Chinese food she'd made, no take out but properly prepared, with several bowls with vegetables and sauce for them to choose from. 'This looks and smells wonderful, thank you,' he said, sitting down on the couch. She sat down on the floor next to him and smiled crookedly at him. 'Enjoy.'

He ate while she watched, only occasionally taking a bite herself. She decided not to prolong execution. 'Seeley, I want to talk to you.'

''Bout what?' he asked, his mouth half full.

'About us.'

He stopped eating, swallowed and put down his knife and fork.

'What's wrong?'

She joined him on the couch, looking directly at him.

'I want to talk about Temperance.'

'Why, what's wrong with her?'

Hannah sighed. 'You're not helping. Nothing's wrong. Just hear me out, ok?'

He nodded, starting to get worried.

'I talked to her. Today, at the lab.'

'You went to her lab? Ok, sorry,' he said when he saw her frown. 'Won't interrupt you.'

'Good. Yes, I went to the lab. I had to talk to her. You know that conversation we had about her, earlier?'

Booth just nodded.

'The one where I told you you could be with Temperance whenever she needed you, and that I wouldn't care?'

He nodded again.

'Well, I think I need to elaborate on that.'

He frowned. 'Ok..'

'You believe in fate right?' She poured him a new glass of wine, figuring he would need it. He just nodded again, not daring to interrupt, but also dreading what she was going to say next.

'I think fate got us together, but I don't think it was a good thing.'

'What?' He was confused. 'What are you trying to say?'

'Sometimes fate is just there to help us in the right direction. Or in this case, in the wrong one to help you realize your mistake.'

'Hannah, you are not the wrong direction. Believe me.'

She shook her head. 'But that's what I'm talking about. I am the wrong direction but you can't see it. I have to help you see it.'

He took her hands and kissed them. 'No, you're wrong. You're not doing this, I need you.'

She pulled her hands from his. 'Yes, you need me, but you need me to show you that you don't need me. You need Temperance and when she rejected you, you ran and found me. That's fine for a little while but it won't last. We may love each other but it's not enough. We don't share enough, Seeley.'

He became desperate, trying to touch her face or arm but she was making sure she stayed out of range. 'No, Seeley. Listen to me. I've been in your position. In love from head to toe, debating wether to act upon my feelings or not and then crushed into the ground with rejection. I know how it feels.'

He looked at her, eyes big. He'd never heard anything of her past. Then, he shook it off.

'This is different, Hannah.'

'No it's not, Seeley, and you are just like me then, I didn't believe it either. But please, look beyond me. What do you see?'

She saw he didn't understand.

'You see Temperance. Every second of the day, she's a bigger part of you than I am. And that's why we need to break this off. She needs you and you need her and I'm in between. Can't you see it?'

'Hannah, just stop, stop for a second. You told me you wouldn't break up with me, you literally said that to me. And now you are breaking up anyway? Why?'

Hannah shook her head. 'I'm not breaking up. I'm just telling you what I see and what I fear. We don't have a solid relationship here. You think we do, but it's just almost getting blown up, having sex and noticing that lonely part in one another that keeps us together. That's really all.'

'No, no.' Booth shook his head. 'It's so much more!'

She decided to make him see sense. 'Tell me what we have that you don't have with Temperance. I bet you won't come any further than sex.'

He frowned, looking at her desperately. What was she trying to prove?

'I love you, Hannah. We have that.'

'You love Temperance,' Hannah interrupted. 'You told me.'

He shook his head. 'Sure, but this is different.'

Hannah put a hand on his cheek. 'Yes, this is different. It's based on sex and physical attractiveness, Seeley. And that's all. We don't share much beyond that. Come on, be reasonable, think about it.'

He did, and for a second he saw she was right.

But she couldn't be. She must be wrong. 'No. It's not true.'

She shook her head again, getting close to despair herself. 'It's true. Look at me, Seeley. It's true. It's not a bad thing right now, but it will be. So please, listen to me.'

'What do you want from me anyway?' He said, getting angry with her. 'If you don't want to break up, than what do you want?'

'I want you to realize that I'm right. I talked to Temperance today. She is so afraid that she'll let you down. She is so afraid that you two won't match. You are afraid that you'll let her down. Don't you see? You're exactly the same, but complete opposites as well. You two belong together, come on, you know it's true. Just have the courage to take the leap.'

'What leap?'

'I'll put it this way. If you decide to try and talk to Temperance about this, I'll encourage it. If you decide to stay with me and hide with your head in the sand any longer, I'll break up with you and make sure she comes to you. It's your choice.'

He looked at her. Sometimes, he had no idea what to do. He wasn't an expert in romantic feelings. Hannah was right, sure, their relationship was based on sex but he didn't know much more, only what he had with Temperance and what he thought they could have, and what he had almost had with Rebecca. He had just been sure that it wasn't for him. Now he realized Bones thought exactly the same. *

Then, he had that feeling again. That tingling, exciting feeling of maybe. Maybe Hannah was right. Maybe he and Bones could be together. Maybe it wasn't just a dream, maybe it would become reality. He felt his eyes water and then, he hugged Hannah. Hard.

'Thanks, baby. Thank you so much. I love you.'

She hugged him back. 'I know. Now go to her.'

He pulled back. 'I will. And I'll be back.'

'Don't be sorry if you're never coming back, Seeley. I know where you are and I know you'll be happy. That's all I need.'

He smiled at her, and kissed her for one last time. 'Hannah, I know you'll be happy. I'm always here for you if you need anything, ok?'

He realized he was already saying goodbye. 'But don't go right now, ok? I don't know what will happen, please just stay for a while longer.'

She nodded, without any hesitation. 'I will.'

With that, she stood, walked to where he'd left his coat and handed it to him. 'Go do the right thing.'

She watched him leave the house, she watched him get in the car and she watched him drive off. She knew that he had realized she was right. He knew he loved Temperance more than her, but she hadn't quite expected him to realize it so quickly. However, she also knew she'd done the right thing. She closed the door and went inside, picking up the phone. She called Temperance.

'Brennan.'

'Hi, it's Hannah.'

'Hannah, hi. What can I do for you?' she asked on the phone.

'Booth is on his way to you. I hope I have not made a mistake.'

There was a short silence.

'You haven't made a mistake Hannah. Thank you so much.'

Hannah smiled to herself. 'Ok. See you later, Temperance. Good luck.'

With that, she broke the connection.

Booth drove as fast as he could. He nearly hit a man on a bicycle and he almost ran over an old lady trying to cross the street, but finally he arrived at his destination: Brennan's apartment block. He hurried to her front door and rang the bell.

Inside, Brennan had been ready for him. After Hannah had called, she'd made sure she was relaxed and she'd quickly gone over everything she wanted to tell him in her head. Now that he was ringing her bell however, she felt the nerves rage through her body.

She tried calming herself before she opened the door. 'Hey, Booth.'

'I need to come in,' he said, his eyes shining in a way she hadn't seen before. It was a mixture of pain and hope, and she thought her eyes would look exactly the same.

She nodded and stepped aside to let him in.

Once he was inside, he felt his heart contract. This was it.

'Bones, I love you. I'm trying again. I want us to try again, please? Can we try this time? I won't push you away. I won't, I promise. I'll be here for you, I'll be here forever. What else can I do, Bones? Please tell me what you need.'

She just stood there, listened to him, and then turned away from him. 'I can't be with you,' she said silently.

Booth's heart dropped. 'What? Why?' He couldn't believe his ears.

'I can't, you're with Hannah, and she said that she'd only break up with you if she was sure I'd be there for you. She can't be sure.'

'But she is, Bones. She knows you're here for me. And you are. Just let me in, ok? I know I hurt you, I shouldn't have, but I panicked. I'll regain your trust, ok?'

'I trust you, Booth,' she said, turning to him again and walking past him to the living room. She sat down on the couch while he stood, unsure what to do.

'Look, just hear me out, ok? I know you don't like showing your feelings. I respect that. I admire it even. But this is not the time, ok? I can't live with you not knowing how you really feel. I won't live my life on eggshells, Bones. Talk to me.'

Wit that, he sat down next to her and looked her in the eye, trying to convince her to open up.

While she was looking into his eyes, something melted within her. The icy wall around her heart slowly melted away. He could see it in her eyes, tears starting to brim and more of herself showing in them every passing second. Then, she opened up completely to him.

'I can't trust myself when I'm with you. I don't know how I'll react. I'm unsure how this will affect my work. I do want to be with you, you are very attractive and I believe you'll be good to me as you, as an alpha male, are designed to take care of your woman..'

He interrupted her. 'Bones. Please.'

She frowned and a tear dropped from her eye. 'What?'

'I love you,' he finally said and he kissed her.

The second his lips met her she went into emotional shock. What was happening? How could she control it? She didn't want to, but somewhere she knew she had to. She kissed him back, trying to tell him how she really felt. Their lips melted together but still, some part of her was trying to escape. He felt it and moved back, his hands on her cheeks.

'Bones, what's holding you back? Why?'

She looked down at his arms and took his hands away from her cheeks to lie on her knees. 'I don't know.'

He nodded. He did, but he'd let her figure it out herself.

'Can I stay with you?' he asked carefully. Her eyes grew big. 'What?'

He immediately understood his mistake. 'I don't mean sex, I mean just here, on the couch. I mean, Hannah is still at my place and I told her..' She put two fingers on his lips, silencing him. 'You can stay.'

He nodded. 'You know this is going to take some time for me,' he said. 'I can't just dismiss Hannah. I love her.'

Brennan nodded at him. 'I know.'

When she left the bathroom after a quick shower, she didn't really want to be alone. She also didn't want to invite Booth to bed because she was afraid he would get the wrong idea, but she really could use some comfort and she guessed he could, too. So she decided to ask him.

'Can I sleep next to you on the couch?'

He frowned. 'We won't fit.'

'I know,' she said. He laughed. 'Then why did you ask?'

She laughed with him. 'I don't know. I just don't feel like being alone.'

He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, like he had done a million times before. 'Then let's share your bed. I won't try anything, I promise.'

She smiled. He understood.

A few minutes later they were settled next to each other, looking up at the ceiling. It was nice to have a warm body in her bed, and Brennan knew she'd sleep great. She reached for his hand under the cover, just as he reached for hers. They met halfway and she pulled his arm to lie over her stomach. He snuggled closer, his head on her shoulder. He kissed her neck and whispered in her ear. 'Goodnight, Bones.'

This was the dawn of a new life for them.


End file.
